Here Come Changes
by Joannwriting
Summary: A story of what happened after the end of the book. include action, adveture, and a bit of romance back at the Graveyard.bad summary, better story. please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Connor

"Wow, isn't it beautiful?" whispered Risa, as they stepped out of the junky old jeep and surveyed the area.

"Well, that would be a word I would use to describe you. Now if you said 'isn't it just like home.'" His voice drops back into a regular tone.

"Oh, I know you love it too, even though the heat can be a pain."

"Lets go, I want to see how much of the place survived, and if Hayden took good care of it while we where gone."

They walk, and roll, over to the Admiral's old jet. Its wings still hand at terrifying angles, but it's been repainted and the doors have been replaced. They step inside, and instantly a cool blast of air hits them, a big difference to the boiling hot sun outside.

Hayden is sitting at a small table, a cup of coffee nestled in his hands, talking to another unwind. When he sees them, his face breaks into a huge grin.

"So, the Akron AWOL is back, with more stories to add to his growing list of greatness." He laughs when Connor punches him. "Just kidding," his face turns more serious, "so how was life at the harvest camp?"

In response Connor shoves out his arm and turns up his wrist.

"No," Hayden breathes

"yep." Connor pulls his arm back, hiding the mark neatly with his other wrist. Changing the subject, he asks "so how did life go on here?"

"Good!" Hayden exclaims, "We've got it all back in working order, and we're even working on refurbishing new airplanes for our new arrivals."

"We've got more unwinds coming already!" Connor exclaims, "I thought, I mean, I didn't think, I mean… wow."

"Yeah, I know." A whole plane load arrived the day after you left. It looks like the admiral has this all scheduled out for the next few years. Oh, speaking of the admiral, he called and wants you to call him back when you have the time. But first, let's go look at the new and improved Graveyard."

"So how's life in a wheel chair?" Hayden asks as they survey the new planes and people walking by.

"It's better than spending the rest of my life with an unwinds backbone."

"True true, here's the mediplane, we'll have to install a ramp for you, but you'll be back on business as soon a possible."

Risa grins, "Great."

"Hayden checks his watch, we're due for another plane anytime now, lets head back to Admirals, and then you can come and check on them."

"Cool, we need to get out of the heat for a while anyways, until we get used to it again."

They walk slowly back to plane, saying hi to the unwinds who stop to stare and point, already, Connor bets, rumors will be flying around the Graveyard. The hot dust poufs around their feet with each step, as they walk silently for a while. The pressure of all the unsaid things weighs on Connor like a sack of flour. But now is not the time to say them. He swallows down the words that leap into his throat, and turn to watch Risa as she pushes herself along.

Risa

I can see Connor watching me. He's just waiting for me to get tired so he can swoop in and be a hero. But I chose this chair for a reason. My legs may get all weak and skinny, but my arms aren't' going to. Plus it's a good core workout.

I can tell form Connors eyes that he has something on his mind, but unfortunately, Hayden is here, so he'll have to hold it. The plane is just a few yards away. The only problem is, it has stairs. So Connor carries me up while Hayden grabs the wheelchair.

"One thing is for sure," says Connor as he sets me down in my chair with a huff, "is that we are going to have to get some ramps around here."

Hayden nods, and then cocks his head. "I think I hear the plane coming in. you two stay here, and I'll come and get you when I need you."

We nod back, and he sprints off out of the plane.

I ask before Connor can even begin to talk. "What's on your mind?" I ask and sigh.

"When are we going to tell them? I can't hold it in forever."

I know instantly what he's talking about. "Just let it be, plus, they'll find out when I start to show, it'll be fine." He leans in for a kiss, and at that moment, we hear the crash.


	2. Chapter 2

Risa

"Oh my god."

There is nothing to do but stop and stare. The ride over was bumpy, fueled by the agonized screams and flames beginning to lick the sky.

No wonder this is called a graveyard, Risa thinks to herself, it's a graveyard for planes and kids.

Survivors are starting to stumble out of the ruins. Hayden is among the first, supporting a limp kid on his shoulder.

"Risa," he screams, "come help me!"

Risa grabs the wheel and propels herself foreword. Connor is by her side, but while she'll be out of the danger zone, he's running to it at full speed.

She stops quickly by the first kid, her chair skidding along the loose dirt. She falls to his side and crawls toward him. His skin is covered in bubbling blisters and he coughs over and over again. His breathing is raspy when he isn't coughing, but at least he's coherent, she might be able to save him.

"What's your name?" she asks.

"Seth." He rasps out. Reaching back to her chair, Risa pulls out a water bottle she had stuck there earlier.

"Here," she says, holding the nozzle to his lips, "take a few sips, and then we'll get you to some shade." He's weak at first, but at last he reaches up and grabs the bottle for himself.

After he's gulped down a few sips, she pulls it away from him. "Can you stand?" he tries, but he's obviously too weak to take more than a few steps. Risa pulls herself toward her chair and climbs into it, and then she pulls the boy onto her lap.

Pushing herself toward the nearest plane wing isn't easy, the boy must weigh at least twice her weight, and she is already tired from the trek she took earlier. She finally reaches the first fingers of shade she slips the boy off her lap. Tearing off her pant leg, she wraps a piece of cloth around his worst burns to keep out as much dirt as she can.

Looking she sees the actual situation. Flames lick up to the sky and dance dangerously close to the other planes. Kids are now trickling out of the fiery plane, going as far as they can before they collapse of exhaustion. Risa just sees the back of Connors head before he disappears into the belly of the plane.

Kids are now staring to notice the accident, and other unwinds flood the area, picking up the fallen kids and towing them away to a safe place. Risa climbs back into her chair and wheels off to help the other children.

Connor

The plane is hot. Metal begins to melt off the beams, and anything that isn't made of metal is flying around as loose burning debris. Already, a piece of a crate has fallen from a shelf and smashed against his foot.

Kids are pounding on their crates, begging to be let out as smoke fills their lungs and the temperature rises to dangerous levels. He reaches the nearest crate and rips at the smoldering wood. Finally, a hole big enough for a kid to climb out is made.

"Come out one at a time and head for the exit."

He doesn't know if they heard, or if they are dead, but he moves onto the next crate. He can hear kids inside this one. He tears at the wood with his fingernails until his hands are raw and bloody. Then he grabs a board and pulls, with a few more tugs it comes loose and the kids' stream out of the gap, tearing clothes and skin on the jagged edges.

Connor darts back to the other crate. He pulls at this board until he's hit by a coughing attack. He ducks to the floor and pulls his shirt over his nose which is drenched with sweat. His lungs beg for fresh air.

No, he tells himself, not until I free these kids.

The board is loose, and with one last tug, he pulls it free.

The kids are still, not one is moving, though he thinks he sees a chest rise and fall. Picking up that kid and the girl next to her, he throws them over his shoulder and races to the door of the collapsing plane, the anguished screams of tons of kids just like him, ringing in his ears.


	3. Chapter 3

Risa

When Connor stumbles from the collapsing building, I didn't think it was him. Blood is smeared all over him and the people he is carrying, and soot is smeared across his face. It is only when he sets down the kids and starts to walk toward me I know it's him.

Almost as soon as he's out of the plane, the whole thing collapses in on its self, and the dying wails of hundreds of kids are silenced. I roll up to him as fast as I possibly can. When I get there, he wraps his arms around me and kisses me on the cheek, and then he passes out.

"I need a nurse over here," I yell, but I don't think his injuries are all that serious, his body is just protecting him, so I roll over to the girls he put down.

They must be twins, because I have never seen feature so close, even under a layer of grime. They are both still, though I can see ones heart is still beating. I choose to focus on her. I start with chest compressions, and then blow in air to clean out the smoke. As I continue with CPR, she starts to come around, coughing up a black sludge that sits in a small lump on the ground. I put her into recovery position and turn towards the other girl.

Her face is even more beautiful than her twins, and I wonder why someone would ever want to unwind them. Her pulse is barley there, so I go strait to breathing, trying to clear the smoke out of her lungs. Compressions come later, and I'm working as fast as is allowed for these things. Nothing makes a difference. Her pulse flickers and then fades into silence.

Turning her onto her back, I wipe as much soot from her face as I can, and close her sightless eyes. Crossing her arms across her chest, I turn to her sister. Checking her pulse, it seems stronger and her breathing is becoming more even, so I go over and check on Connor.

His hands are a mess, and his breathing is coming in choking gasps. There's a bad burn on his leg and foot, and some of his hair has been burnt away. His face was spared though, and even under a layer of grit, you can still see the scars that crisscross his face. I kiss his cheek and head off to work on someone else.

An unwind runs by, and I grab his arm. When he turns I find its Hayden. The stretcher he carries bangs against his legs at the sudden stop.

"We've got two over there," I say nodding in the direction of Connors sleeping form, "one dead, one alive and Connor, who at this point is really neither."

He nods and hurries off in that direction. I continue working my way through eh wounded and frightened kids, giving water and medical service where I can. On others I can only comfort them as they slip away.

Connor

When I wake up, Risa is sitting by my bedside. "Good you're awake, now I can go check on some of the others. Don't try and sit up yet." She warns when she sees me shift beneath the covers.

I try to speak, and all the come out is a painful coughing. I try again, "how many made it?" there where about 450 kids on that plane.

"I think the total count right now is 38, and we've got some kids riding the edge."

I sigh and cover my face in my hands, at least, what used to be my hands. They look like giant snowballs now, swathed in layers of gauze.

"I want to help." I mummer, trying again to get up, but stopping when pain lance up my leg like a bolt of lightning.

"They best thing you can do right now is stay in bed, that way you won't get in the way, and you won't kill yourself. It works for everybody." She's direct, and right, which makes me mad.

She must see the look on my face because she interrupts me before the words can leave my mouth, "you've already done enough. Without you, at least twenty kids are alive right now because of what you did. Not everyone would have the courage to run into a flaming plane, but you did." She silences anymore protests with a kiss, gentle, but full of the fear she felt when the accident happened. She breaks away, and I want so much to pull her back in, but I don't. She leaves the room with a wave and one last glance over her shoulder.


	4. Chapter 4

Connor

Risa let him out today. After being cooped up for three days, she had grudgingly admitted that he was cleared for duty. He had kind of liked being stuck in the hospital though, it had given him a time to think and relax.

His hands were still bandaged, and his hair was struggling to grow back. Risa had made him put bandages over all his burns too. Now he had to go and meet all the kids that where rescued from the plane and figure out their storied and welcome them to the Graveyard.

He stepped out of the plane, the rush of warm air hitting him, reminding him that there is another world outside his. In the distance, he can see the pile of charred ashes and metal that used to be the plane. They got lucky that it didn't crash anywhere else and set the other planes on fire. That would have been a disaster.

Hayden strides up to him, "come to see the new arrivals?"

Connor nods.

"Well, come right this way. The ones that have recovered from their injuries are staying in the newbie pane."

Connor follows him across the grounds, noticing how dry the air is.

"How long has it been since it's rained?" he asks.

"I don't know. It's been a while."

"I'll say." Connor muttered under his breath.

They reach the newbie plane and stride inside. The kids look up at them with a frightened gaze as the door bangs against the hollow interior. He scans the group. There's about twenty of them. He tries to remember each face. There's a girl with long black hair and green eyes, another with cropped brown hair and a scar across her cheek. A boy sits at the very back, glaring at both of them, his sandy blond hair flopping into his eyes making him look less ferocious.

Connor clears his throat to cover the silence. "Well, welcome to the Graveyard. Sorry about your rough landing yesterday. Here we work to unwind what the government has done to us. We are working in end unwinding. We infiltrate harvest camps, stop buses, anything. Here at the graveyard, there are a multitude of jobs you can work to help our cause. I want you to know that you will be safe here and counted as an individual. My name is E. Robert Mullard, but you can call me Connor."

A few kids clap quietly, but most of them just stare at him blankly, their eyes a mixture of feelings. "I hope you soon find yourself at home here." Connor says, and then nods to them and turns to leave.

Hayden catches up with him as he strides to the Admirals jet.

"That went well."

Connor sighs. "They seem so dejected, and you know me, I've never been very good with words."

"They'll come around," Hayden assures him, "it will just take some time. They lost friends and siblings in that fire. Did you see the girl with the green eyes and black hair? Here twin sister died in the fire. Risa treated her, both of them. I bet she feels extremely guilty."

"Can't they see we're trying to help them?" a frustration he didn't know he possessed bubbles to the top. He swallows, trying to get his temper back in check. "I just wish they would realize that they are home now, whether they like it or not."

Risa

The new kids in the infirmary are getting better. Their coughs have subsided and they are beginning to sit up and talk to one another. Keeping them in bed is getting to be a hassle.

Along with the new unwinds, there are the regular sun burns, coughs, cuts and injuries. Her nerves are frazzled, and finally Risa tells one of the other nurses to watch over the kids and sprints from the plane at top speed.

She would like to stay outside, but the heat pours down, washing them in a fiery blanket. So she shakes that idea and skirts in the shadows to the Admirals jet. Temporary ramps have been placed over the stairs, made of scrap metal and planks of wood. It works though, and it saves Risa from having to call somebody over to take her up.

The jet seems empty, but moving farther into it, she can hear somebody moving about. She's not surprised when she turns the corner and finds Connor pacing back and forth over the already threadbare carpet. When he sees her, he plunks down into a cracked leather seat.

"I can't stand it!" he yells, and his eyes are full of terror and mistrust.

"Connor what is it?" she croons as she wheels over to him.

"I don't know, I just feel…confused. Sometimes my eye, the new one, it shows me things that I never would want to see, and I can't stop it."

He tries to go on, but Risa silences him with a kiss. "Don't worry, we'll get it all figured out later. All you have to do now is make sure that everyone who comes here has a home." She silences all further protests with a kiss.


	5. Chapter 5

Connor

The arm comes out of nowhere, its bruised, flat knuckles aiming for his face. The angry face of a smashed up kid snarls behind the fist. Connor struggles, trying to block the shot, but his arms are bound to his side, and he is being held in place by some invisible force. Everything goes into slow motion as he watches the fist come closer and closer. He seals his mouth tight, refusing to scream, and whips his back and forth struggling to get away. Struggling to get away, struggling to get away.

Connor jolts up. The room is dark and stuffy, and his feet have become wound amongst the sheets. Rita sleeps across the room, her breathing still and gentle. In the dim light, her hair falls across her face and pillow and make her look angelic.

Not wanting to wake her, Connor shuffles quietly to the door, trying to calm his racing heart.

"I must be the eye again," Connor rants quietly, "it's useless, all it does is show me images of brutal things. I can see fine without it." But in the back of his mind, the sneaking suspicion rises. Would he be able to see? And would the unwinds at the graveyard accept him if he just had one eye?

The questions pummel Connors tired brain and he rubs his temples in frustration. The air outside the plane is hot, but it's better than the air in the room. Sitting down, he leans back against a stair and gazes up at the stars. The sky is black and each bright dot flickers down.

Connor sighs, and takes a deep breath of the warm air. These things cannot be changed, only muted. He should stop worrying about it. Slowly he pulls himself up and back into the plane.

In the darkness, he slips into Rita's bed. She murmurs and snuggles into him. He wraps his arms around her and try's to fall asleep.

Rita

Today, all the new arrivals have been cleared, all that is, except for one. Her complexion is still ashy and her breathing refuses to come nicely. She is small boned, almost a child. When she opens her eyes, their grey depths pull you into them. Her name is Gemma.

Rita is worried; she hates it when patients don't heal properly. The hardest part is that she's done everything that she can do. There are no more treatments available to treat her with.

Today though, she is doing a little bit better. She is sitting up, talking and paying attention. Her breathing is still shaky, but she is up and helping Rita with her tasks. The girl has a peculiar knack for healing, and already, she has helped Rita with sunburns, scratches and daily meds.

Rita sends her in to get some water as she works on a sun-burned messenger. Her fingers move automatically as she worries about Connor. His sleeping antics are starting to make her wonder about how much he is telling her, and even though she offered him drugs to help him sleep, he won't take them. I should just slip them into his drink, she thinks, but he would notice.

Gemma comes back with the water, and she hands it to her patient. With a yawn, she plops down into a nearby chair.

"Why don't you go and take a nap?" Rita asks.

Gemma nods silently and plods off to the back of the plane.

"I need to do something about Connor." Rita proclaims to herself, and she heads toward the door.

Flinging it open, she gets a good look at the sun, and then everything goes black.


	6. Chapter 6

Connor

Connor glanced up at the sun, a loose hand protecting his eyes. The red ball hung high in the sky. It was almost lunch time.

He was peeling metal shafts off an older plane to use for a project. He didn't know what, but Risa had suggested that he get his hands busy so that he wouldn't have to think so much. Connor thought he was going to try to build a motor for Risa's chair, in this heat; it was hard on her to wheel herself around.

Wrenching off the last bit of metal, Connor stood and heaved the pile of scraps onto his shoulder. Setting off for the admirals at a steady pace, he made blueprints of what he was going to build. Right now, a cold glass of water and something to eat would be just the thing he thought.

Wrenching open the jet's door, he was met with a cool blast of air. The darkness of the jet was startling compared to outside.

"Risa!" he called

No answer.

He walked farther in, and set down his stuff on the cracked leather seats.

"Risa?" he call again, more nervous this time.

No answer.

He checked the bathroom, the bedroom. I'll just head over to the medical jet to see if she got held up. He told himself.

Jogging now, he scampered over to the jet, dodging the patches of hot noon day sun. The mediplane wasn't far away, and he was there in a few minutes.

"Risa!" he called.

A few nurses popped out. "I haven't seen her for a while," she said, "you might check with Gemma though"

"Gemma?"

"She's in the back, quiet though, she might be sleeping."

Connor nodded like he knew what they where talking about and headed toward the back of the plane where the patients stayed.

He poked his head through the divider. "Gemma" he called softly.

"In here." A voice called back, "second bed to the left."

He slid into the room and tried to conceal his surprise.

Gemma was pretty. Not the sexy, provocative pretty, but the quiet kind. Her eyes where large and luminous, and her dark hair fell softly around her face. And she was very young. He couldn't fathom why anyone would want to unwind her.

"Have you seen Risa lately?" he said trying to cover the silence.

"Yeah actually, she left about twenty minutes ago; she said something about talking to you." She stopped and coughed. "Sorry, I still have some lung damage from the fire. But, she said she was going to talk to you or something like that, and then she left. I haven't seen her since."

"About what time was that?"

"About eleven."

"Thanks, I hope you feel better soon."

"See ya!"

With a last glance over his shoulder, he saw her fall back to sleep with a sigh.

Now he was getting nervous. He knew that she would have just headed over to the jet. Something was not right. That feeling intensified when a gleam of metal caught his eye.

Hurrying down the stairs, he ran over to the bush and pushed back the branches. At the sight he almost cried.

Lying busted in the bush was Risa's wheelchair.

Risa

They must have thought her stupid, because even though they had left the blindfold on, they were yelling to the heavens about the whole thing.

"You idiots," the man screamed "I tell you to get me a good unwind, one that we can use, and you bring me an invalid! And a pregnant one at that!"

Risa's hand fell protectively to her stomach.

"Yeah boss, we know, but we had to get somebody, time was running out, she was an easy take." Said the quivering voice of a boy.

"And only one! The government will not be happy. _They've _started something, and now, there aren't enough unwinds to go around. We spared you so that you could get us others! Now take her away. We'll just keep her for ransom or something. If the government needs them enough, they can unwind her."

Those last words sent chills down her spine, and then she was being hauled up and dragged. Then she was thrown in a room, and her bindings where taken off.

One glance around the room, and she knew she wouldn't' be going anywhere soon. The grey cement walls rose around her and a chill swept the air. It felt as though she had just entered her grave.


	7. Chapter 7

Risa

The air was cold. Risa shivered and tugged her shirt closer around her goose-bumped shoulders. Either they were in Antarctica or these guys had a really good air conditioning system. She was guessing the latter.

They had grabbed her, throwing her chair in some bushes and stuffed her into an old car. From the smell of it, it was the old jeep. After almost two hours, the car had ground to a stop and there had been more rough handling. They threw her in a room and removed a blindfold. Its white walls had been devoid of anything that resembled art.

And old man had come in, his hair the color of powdered sugar. His eyes on the other hand had been the color of coal. He had poked and prodded her, mumbling to himself and occasionally jotting down notes. Then the he had blindfolded her and the other three burst into the room and the yelling commenced. And finally, she was thrown into this drafty place.

They had provided a cart for her to move around her cell in. it was little more than a sliver of cloth with wheels, but it worked well enough. If only she could find some way to contact Conner, but that was impossible.

The sound of a door slipping open alerted her to the presence of someone else. She had yet to see her captor, and was dying to take a jab at his face. Then she thought better of that idea and settled down in her corner.

The soft, padded footsteps stopped at her door and let themselves in. she sucked in her breath as she studied him. He was a young man, more of a child really, with a wisp of peach fuzz on his chin and a pair of dirty jeans. His shirt was thin, and she almost felt sorry for him as he shivered in the cool wind of the cell. And then she stopped her thinking, knowing that he was in league with them.

He had been staring at her while she sized him up and now he spoke. "I'm sorry."

Risa looked closer, and as she did, the face dawned on her. He was an unwind that had been at the graveyard. She had treated him not three days ago for sunburn on his shoulder.

Her glare sparked and he shrank away from her. "You know it's funny," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "because one would think that and unwind, especially and escaped unwind, would not turn back to the very people who had spit them out."

He had the good grace to look ashamed at that. Turning he stared through the cell bars, a far away look in his eyes. "I had no choice you know." He said at last. "It was either that or be unwound."

"I would gladly be unwound so that others would not have to." She spat.

The body glanced again at the top left corner of her cell. His eyes widened for a second in fright, and then he stood up quickly. Letting himself out, he almost ran to the heavy door that barred the whole dungeons. The loud thud of it closing was all that was left of him.

Risa muttered at him, glaring darkly in the direction he had fled, and then turned to look at the corner he had been so interested in. at first nothing seem unusual, and the she moved and a slight gleam emanated from the corner. She started and then looked closer, confirming her fears. She was being watched.

Conner

Conner was not the type of boy who cried easily, but in this case it was hard to stop the tears as they flowed down his cheeks. Hayden stood beside him, a shocked expression hanging on his face. The bent arms of the wheel chair and the crooked seat could only mean one thing. Risa had been taken. Although Conner had known that as soon as he looked at the chair, Hayden confirmed it.

Wiping the last of his tears away, Conner straitened and turned away from the broken chair. He swept his gaze over the surrounding country and tried to imagine where they might take her. He drew a blank. He also couldn't figure out why.

Being in the state she was, she was in no condition to be unwound, and plus the government had all those that they need. This was most likely a ransom. They needed money or something else of value, and so they had called a trade.

He turned back to Hayden and the boy shrugged his shoulders in defeat. Conner's brown eyes stared right through the taller boy. "Call a meeting." He told Hayden, his voice rough with emotion, "We are going to find her."


	8. Chapter 8

Conner

Armed with false identities and any weapons that could be concealed on their person, Conner and five other unwinds set out. Their destination was unknown; no one had seen them leave, although one girl mentioned seeing the Jeep leaving later that morning.

They set out for the nearest city on foot. The jeep was nowhere to be found which only added to suspicion. Traveling in the heat was work enough, so the trip was silent, interluded only by coughing and the muffled footsteps of determined people.

Conner thought about Risa as they walked, and about Gemma. The girl had come running out of the plane as soon as she heard, much to the distress of her nurse. She had begged to come along, but in the condition she was in, Conner had had to say no. she looked as though she would make it about five yards with out collapsing.

He was particularly worried about Risa, though something in the back of his mind said that she would be fine. Having known Risa for such a long time, he knew that she would give anybody that messed with her a run for the money, in a fair fight. And that was what he was worried about. So far, it seemed as though these people played dirty.

Looking out over the red dry desert, he could see the crest of the city coming into view. Stopping her turned to those behind him. Hayden had been left in charge of the camp, so Conner had taken Clarise, Sophie, Mitch, Chad and Mark. They would split into teams and enter the city, booking rooms in separate hotel and visiting government building on the basis of school projects. Assumedly, they all went to Fleetwood high school, the local school in the city.

Mitch and Mark, being twins, were paired together and Conner put Chad and Sophie together, hoping that her brains would equal out his brawn. That left him with Clarise, the small girl who had come in a few weeks after he had. She was smart and had a dry sense of humor, which fed nicely on her sense of adventure.

They split here and hopefully, would reconvene here in a matter of a week, with Risa in tow.

Risa

Risa flung another spoonful of the dry mashed potatoes she had been given for lunch. Turning, she flung another into a different corner, and then another at the wall. Then she was back to that corner. The food didn't taste good, and she was worried that they were drugging her, so she had found a useful way to get rid of it.

Had she been a mechanic like Conner, she could have just reached up and disabled the thing. But then again, she couldn't manage to stand, let alone fix. Just thinking of Conner made her heart wrench. For two days she had been stuck in this cell, and there had been no human companionship. She missed him, his strong arms and soft lips. She let herself day dream for a while.

The door creaked open and the unwind came in. Risa took another spoonful of mashed potatoes and aimed it carefully at his chest.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why else? I'm bored." She responded, trying to get the message across that she should be let out of this place.

"I'm sorry, but flinging mashed potatoes around your room isn't going to fix anything. Actually it's a pity that you started behaving bad because they were about to take you out of here."

Risa tried not to show how her heart dropped.

The boy swung the door open. "But, they said that since you've been so good until now, you can come out if you want." He said, smiling casually as he leaned against the large door.

Dropping the plate with a clatter, Risa grabbed the wheels and sped out the open door.

In the boy ear, a voice crackled a hint of a smile in the words.

"Good job."


	9. Chapter 9

Conner

The mattress was rough. If Conner had to bet, it probably contained some sort of unwanted bug. Glaring reproachfully at the dirty sheets, he glanced at the ceiling, where some mystery substance oozed a brilliant red from. Taking a sharp breath he told himself it was just tomato sauce.

Clarise has set her small bag of clothes on the edge of the bed and sprawled across the bed. It bounced slightly under her weight, and then stilled. Her closed eyes spelled something akin to bliss.

"Aww come on. The beds at the Graveyard can't be that bad." Conner protested.

She laughed; eyes still closed and started to laugh even harder when the bad started to sway again beneath her. "No, I'm just really tired. The sun has that effect on me. Plus I'm used to it." She gave a small shrug, eyes half open watching him for his reaction.

He plopped down beside her. "Come from the rough part of town?"

"You could say that." She closed her eyes and turned her head, ending the discussion.

Fishing the pocket knife out of his pants, he sets it on the table, it dull black paint somehow adding to the menace. Pulling the knife from his jacket pocket, he sets that beside the other.

Hearing the clattering, Clarise opens her eyes. Raising her eyebrows at the sight of the gleaming metal, she fishes out her switchblades and sets them next to his. Rising he goes to search the refrigerator. Its empty, save for an old coke in the far corner.

"Looks like we'll have to go shopping." He announces to no one in particular. Swinging open the cupboards, searches those, and finding them devoid of anything but old plates he heaves a sigh and goes to the window.

A peek out from the tightly closed curtains shows what he already knows. The bleak part of town. A few levels below, a man walks his dog, constantly looking over his shoulder. Nobody plays in the streets. It's a different world from where Conner grew up.

Snapping the curtain shut again, he paces the room and then flops on the bed near Clarise.

A knock at the door makes them jump.

Picking up one of the recently discarded knives, Conner flicks it open and holds it resting lightly beside his thigh. Staring though the peephole, he sighs and relaxes slipping the knife into his pocket.

Opening the door slightly, he pokes his head out, "sorry 'mam, I forgot to put out the do not-"

He breaks off with a startled cry, then slumps backward.

Clarise started up, realizing that something was not right. Her hand was on her knife when they grabbed her. And then everything went black.

Risa

The excursion out of the cell was nothing more than a wheel up and down the hall. The boy stayed right behind her the whole time. Irritated she glared at him. "Have I gained a second shadow?" she asked pointedly.

He shrugged but didn't back off. Obviously he didn't get the hint.

The bathroom was a trial, but she was not about to ask for help. It was almost a mirror image of her cell, besides the fact that it was decorated with a slight variation. Instead of white wall they were grey.

Wheeling back into her cell, she pulled herself into the bed and tucked the blankets under her chin. Half closing her eyes, she watched as he boy watched her. There was something bedside calculating greed in his eyes, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Finally after he had stared for a while he slipped quietly out of the cell and left, his padded footsteps ringing softly on the hard stone floor.


	10. Chapter 10

Conner

Slowly, Conner opened his eyes. Each gummed lid protested fiercely, before opening a fraction to reveal the piercing artificial light. Groaning, rubbed his wrists, the use of ropes obvious as the brilliant red marks that they left behind.

Struggling, he tried to remember what had happened. The last thing he remembered, they had been in a low down part of the city getting a room. Now he was locked up. He sat slowly up, the pain in his ribs intensifying. And then he remembered the lady.

She had looked like a cleaning maid in her uniform, the hat pulled tight on her head and the apron concealing the bulk of the weapon. He felt the heat of her glare as she looked at him, gaze full of rage and animosity. The she had stabbed him. He was almost sure it was a taser.

Then why, he wondered as he rubbed his hands on his pants, am I covered in blood?

The question was answered as he lifted up his shirt. His torso was a mass of black and blue. Shallow cuts adorned his shoulders like a robe. Great, he thought to himself. Not only did they take me hostage, they made a punching bag out of me as well.

Swinging his feet over the edge of his bed, he padded to the door. Grabbing the bars, he pressed his face as far as it would go. Muffled voices could be heard farther down the hall. Craning his neck to see, he could make out the edges of the cells on either side of him, but no further.

The cell on his left looked to be occupied. He could just make out a slumped form on the cot.

"Hey," he called in a whisper, "wake up."

Yielding no response, he turned back into the room. Its white walls shone in the blaring light as he scanned the corners. In the left hand corner, he caught the gleam he was looking for. The slight glare of light on lenses. Pulling over his cot, he stood up and reached out his hand.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The voice was calm and sure of itself.

Conner turned and found the boy in the door of his cell. He leaned languidly on the frame and watched him with a casual humor.

Shrugging his shoulders, Conner turned back to the camera. The boy was obviously bluffing. If he was free, he worked for the men who had taken him. He reached forward again. Not acknowledging the small warning cough, he touched the camera.

He came to looking up as the brown haired boy laughed at him. "I told you not to touch it." He said. "The girl down the hall figured out an excellent way to get rid of it. But obviously you can't take a hint."

Conner's ears perked up at the mention of the other girl. "Oh really? Who would that be?"

The boy laughed again, and Conner knew that he could take the boy down from the way he moved. He was far to relaxed. "Oh, her. They brought her in a few days ago. Her names Ris-" he stopped, his face turning pale. His mouth froze, and then snapped quickly back into place. Turning abruptly, he left the room and closed the door with a loud clang.

But it was too late. Conner's mind churned as he went through the list of ways to break them out. Risa was in the other cell, and he was going to get her out.

Risa

She watched silently as the big men brought them past. Blood oozed out of the bags and she wondered who they would hold. So far, no one else had been brought in. the shape swayed, and the large man holding the back kicked it. The bag stopped moving.

Seeing Risa's glare, the burly man waved at her. There was nothing nice about it. They continued farther down the hall until Risa could no longer see them. Then she heard the clanging of a door and the solid thump of a body hitting the ground. Then the two large men trudged back out. Finally, they returned with another bag.

As they left, the man bared his teeth at her. It was more a snarl than a smile. Risa stared grimly back.


	11. Chapter 11

Connor

The situation wasn't getting any better. He was no closer to getting out of his cell and finding Risa than he was yesterday. And the person in the next room was starting to smell.

Risa

I stared at the small camera, wondering if they are watching me right now. It's not like a cripple can get very far very fast, though you would be surprised. The meal arrives along with the boy.

She stoops to grab the plate, positioning herself back on her bed, and the plate on her knees. "So what's your name?" she asks scooping a forkful of brown mush up and eyeing it dubiously before allowing near her mouth.

The boy stops and cocks his head to the side, before answering, "William, most people just call me Will." Again he cocks his head to the side, as though he is listening to something.

"So, what's your story? Got any family?" she lets the sentence trail off, leaving him to fill in the blanks.

There is a long pause, where again he cocks his head, though this time it is to the other side. Finally he nods, and turns his attention toward her. "Yeah, though they're all dead. They died in a plane crash a few years back. Glad they decided not to take me." He gives a short bark of a laugh, though it's more of a sob, and stands abruptly.

"I have to go." He snaps out, as though his mouth is a robot being controlled by a computer. He sniffs and then wipes his eyes. Giving a glance to the ceiling, he says. "allergies." And walks off.

Connor

Okay, I know I smell bad, but the stench coming form the cell over is horrible. So bad it smells like somebody died. I gulp and quickly sneak a covet glance over the stall. They still haven't moved.

Risa

Boredom is a monster one has to deal with when stuck in a cell with nothing that con be used to entertain save for one blanket, one bed and a wheelchair which could pass as a piece of junk any time. Oh and your mind, which can be more of a hindrance than a help.

Finally, when I can't stand the silence any longer, I turn to the camera. "Gee, wouldn't it be nice if I could have a pencil," I say in an overly loud voice, feeling like a complete idiot as I do. I bet the security men are laughing their heads off at my pathetic attempt at communication.

But in a matter of minutes, Will comes in with a pencil in one hand. He hands it to me silently, and then sits outside the door. I shoot a look at him.

"I have to make sure you don't kill yourself or me. Plus I have a pencil sharpener." I nod as if that makes complete sense. Turning my back on him, I take the pencil and start to draw.

Connor

When I hear the door open, I make a quick decision and yell at the top of my lungs. "EXCUSE ME SIR? YOU SEEM TO HAVE A DEAD BODY BACK HERE!" nothing happens for a few seconds, and then all chaos erupts.


End file.
